Supercooling means that a liquid such as water is not transited to a solid but maintained in a high temperature phase, namely, a liquid phase even below a phase transition temperature to the solid. Water drops can be supercooled in the natural state. In addition, water or beverages may be incidentally supercooled in a general refrigerator. A freezing method disclosed under Japan Laid-Open Patent Official Gazette S59-151834 and a freezing method and a refrigerator disclosed under Japan Laid-Open Patent Official Gazette 2001-086967 apply the supercooling principle to the refrigerator. An electric field or a magnetic field is applied to foods of the refrigerator, so that the foods can be maintained in a supercooled state below a phase transition temperature. An electrostatic field processing method disclosed under International Publication Official Gazette WO/98/41115 suggests various types of electrode structures that can be used to supercool and thaw foods.
FIG. 1 is a structure view illustrating a refrigerator including a dispenser disclosed under Korea Laid-Open Patent Official Gazette 2001-0107286. The refrigerator 100 includes the dispenser 120 on a freezing chamber door 110. The dispenser 120 has operation levers 140 and a support 150 on an cutlet unit 130.
FIG. 2 is a structure view illustrating a refrigerator including a dispenser disclosed under Korea Laid-Open Patent Official Gazette 2003-0050929. The refrigerator 200 includes the dispenser 220 on a refrigerating chamber door 210.
FIG. 3 is a structure view illustrating another example of the refrigerator including the dispenser. The refrigerator 300 includes a freezing chamber 310 and a refrigerating chamber 320. An ice maker 330 is installed in the freezing chamber 310, and the dispenser 350 is installed on the freezing chamber door 340. A passage 360 is formed to supply water to the ice maker 330 and the dispenser 350, and connected to an external water supply source (not shown). A first valve 370, a filter 380 and a second valve 390 are disposed on the passage 360. The first valve 370 controls water supply from the external water supply source to the refrigerator 300, the filter 380 filters water, and the second valve 390 controls water supply to the ice maker 330 and the dispenser 350. On the other hand, the first valve 370 and the second vale 390 are controlled by a control unit (not shown) of the refrigerator 300. The passage 360 includes a passage 361 for supplying water to the dispenser 350. Water flowing through the passage 361 is cooled by heat exchange with the freezing chamber 310, and discharged through an cutlet 362 of the passage 361 or an cutlet 351 of the dispenser 350.
FIG. 4 is a structure view illustrating a slush apparatus disclosed under Korea Laid-Open Patent Official Gazette 1998-076685. The slush apparatus includes a refrigerating cycle 410, a container 420 disposed at the upper portion of the refrigerating cycle 410, for making slush, a screw 430 rotatably installed in the container 420, and a valve means 440 for taking cut the slush. The slush apparatus makes the slush by supplying cool air to the container 420 by using the refrigerating cycle 410 and preventing the slush from being transformed into ice by rotation of the screw 430, and supplies the slush by using the valve means 440.